Juli Clover, reporting for MacRumors:

Apple has removed more desktop Macs from its online store as the global memory shortage continues. Mac mini models with 32GB and 64GB of RAM are no longer available for purchase, nor is the M3 Ultra Mac Studio with 256GB RAM.

The M3 Ultra Mac Studio is now available only in a 96GB RAM configuration, with higher-tier options eliminated. Both M3 ‌Mac Studio‌ and M4 Max ‌Mac Studio‌ models have delivery estimates of 9 to 10 weeks.

Earlier this year, following the launch of Claude Dispatch (which requires an always-on computer), I said:

Ignoring tablets, the vast majority of computers purchased are laptops—around 70% according to IDC’s 3Q 25 quarterly data—exactly what you don’t want for an always-on AI assistant.

It’s hard to imagine every individual buying, and every employer issuing, an additional desktop computer just to house an AI assistant.

I still believe this is true, on the whole, but there is a genuine use case here and clearly Apple was caught flat-footed by a flood of AI-induced demand.

The more I use AI coding agents, the more appealing an always-on desktop is looking. Being blocked from commanding an agent to build a new feature, or fix a bug, from wherever I am, is starting to niggle at me.

I use an M4 MacBook Air for personal projects, one of which is an iOS app. When I’m not working, I close the lid and place it wherever—on a shelf, a countertop, the couch. From that point on, I can’t progress anything until I grab the laptop and open it again.

I know, I could force it not to sleep with a sudo command or an app like Amphetamine, but then I’d need to keep it plugged in when not in use, making it more like a desktop anyway.

I’m guessing most people buying these Mac desktops are using them for OpenClaw or Hermes or one of the other ‘claws’. Im claw-curious but the security and privacy tradeoffs have kept me from taking the plunge. I do however buy into a future where you can ask an agent to do real work for you from anywhere, and it has access to the tools, files, and internet services you would use yourself.

Via John Gruber